Couple questions: I've been checking airfares for next September and am seeing lower fares to Brussels (from the Midwest, thru Atlanta) than to Amsterdam. Are transportation options (train) as easy from the Brussels airport as from Amsterdam? I might want to spend the first 3 nights in Haarlem, or I could spend the first night in Bruges, and then on to Haarlem. On the return, I could spend the night before departure in a hotel in Brussels, or in Bruges. Any thoughts or opinions, or hotel suggestions in Brussels? Thanks!
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
It's fairly easy to go from Zaventem airport to Amsterdam (or Brugge or Haarlem). There is a train station underneath the airport. Your train route will be Zaventem airport - Antwerpen - Rotterdam - Haarlem (you change trains 3 times). The whole trip takes 2h30. Tickets for the whole trip will cost around € 60 per person. They can cost much less (€ 31) if you buy in advance and lock you travel time. There are 10 daily Fyra and 12 daily Thalys trains between Belgium and Netherlands. Just beware, in case someone mentions, that the old Benelux trains (which didn't need reservation and were hop-on, hop-off) have been withdrawn from service and replaced by the Fyra trains I mentioned as from Dec. 9th 2012.
Posted by
OP
Wisconsin
552 posts
Thank you for the info! I see a Brussels airport to Antwerp to Amsterdam Centraal to Haarlem routing. If I had a railpass, do you know how much the supplement on the FYRA segment from Antwerp to Amsterdam would likely cost? And how much is the reservation fee?